I liked Noah Caldwell Gervais' take. It has elements that are ill considered, like its endless late game treadmill, but the basic thing that it was trying to do was fun as hell.
It's one of the few games I actually completed 100%. It's very rare for me. The driving was a blast, the fighting was fun, upgrading your car was very satisfying. And there's something about the sound design that made every little action just feel nice.